I Know Not Love
by lavya0393
Summary: Tom OC .For a young man named Tom Riddle, the word “Love” was a foreign one. In fact, the closest feeling he had ever experienced to that was a powerful obsession. His 6th year, the Chamber of Secrets is opened, & with it, his heart.Full Summary Inside.
1. Prologue

**I Know Not Love**

lavya0393

CHAPTER 1

Prologue

**Full Summary**: For a young man named Tom Riddle, the word "Love" was a foreign one. In fact, the closest feeling he had ever experienced to that was a powerful obsession. However, this feeling was not directed towards a person, but to the Dark Arts. I invite you now to explore the depths of the abyss that was Tom Riddle, the boy Lord Voldemort, his ascent to power, and his gradual loss of self. As you delve into his life at Hogwarts in the time of 1944, his sixth year, you will adventure through his thoughts and emotions as he opens the Chamber of Secrets, and, unknowingly, his heart. 

_Flashback, 5 years ago_

_A pair of dark eyes peered out from behind the sliding doors of the last compartment of the Hogwarts Express. These onyx eyes belonged to a small boy of eleven, and they observed the comings and goings of the various passengers, some new, like him, and others familiar with their surrounding. A young girl, about his age caught the attention of those eyes. They narrowed. The girl had long dark hair, chocolate-colored skin, and similar onyx eyes, -yet they couldn't be more different. While his were devoid of emotion, a dark, swirling abyss, hers were full of life and joy. He immediately despised her. She didn't deserve his company or his thought. And so he turned away. _

_He didn't have a chance to observe anymore, however, because the sliding doors were suddenly pulled open, causing him to fright. _

"_Oh! I'm so sorry; I didn't know anyone was in here!" It was the girl that didn't deserve his company. "Would you mind if I sat here? Everywhere else is full."_

_He simply nodded his head in acceptance. What did it matter? He would simply ignore her. Besides, he didn't know anybody else anyway. However, she made it very hard to ignore her presence as she started asking questions:_

"_Is it your first time here at Hogwarts?" She asked._

_He nodded._

"_Yes, me too… are you pureblood?" Then, seeing the puzzled look on his face, she explained: "Pureblood means, being a wizard or witch by ancestry, or if your mother __and__ father are, like, if they were born with magic in their blood. Like, not being muggleborn, -that means, for people that don't have magic parents. People sometimes call the "mudbloods",-that's a really foul name that mainly only Slytherins use, it's the worst form of insult possible." She didn't seem at all perturbed that she had just uttered a presumed obscenity, she merely continued explaining, "Or Half-Blood, meaning that only one of your parents is magic by birth." She paused for a while, and then repeated her question, "So. Are you pureblood?"_

_He eyed her cautiously before conveying this next piece of information. "No."_

"…_Then what are you?" She asked pestilently. _

"_Half-Blood." Came the answer._

"_Oh! Me too!" She said excitedly. "My mother was pureblood, and my father was muggleborn. What about you?"_

_He shrugged. "I think my father was…pureblood."_

"_How come you don't know what pureblood means?" _

"_I was raised in a muggle orphanage." _

"_Oh, that must have been horrible. I'm sorry for bringing it up." She stopped speaking, and the compartment was shrouded in silence for a while before she decided to start up conversation again._

"_I haven't properly introduced myself, my name's Amaryllis Covington, what's yours?" she stuck her hand out, and he took it. _

"_Tom Riddle." He said shortly. _

_End Flashback _

5 years later, as observant as ever, onyx eyes raked the crowd, searching for the worthy. Tom Riddle was due in Transfigurations. He often had flashbacks of meeting people for the first time nowadays. He remembered, and then he determined whether they were good enough to include or supposedly befriend. –Tom Riddle had no Friends. He was a loner by choice for the first few years at Hogwarts before he willingly stepped into the limelight. His group of "friends" – or, as he preferred to think of them, Followers- had a certain dark glamour within the confines of the castle. They were always the ones to be feared yet respected. And Tom Riddle was their master. The Ringleader. The one who made up all the rules.

But as he sat crossing off names on a list while remembering first impressions, he couldn't quite figure out what he wanted to do with one. He looked at the list again, and fourth down, it said: Amaryllis Covington. He remembered their first meeting again, and frowned. He hadn't been too keen on her at first. –She did seem at little talkative, and yet she had successfully educated him on the bonds and family bloodlines of the Wizarding world in the time it took for their first ever train ride to Hogwarts. She had said that the name "Riddle" didn't seem like a Wizarding one, and that he was better off assuming that his mother was the Pureblood. This had enraged him supremely at the time, but it turned out that she was, as always, right. You see, Amaryllis Covington was a Half-Blood know-it-all Ravenclaw whose characteristics emboldened those of Slytherin adn whose heritage rightly placed her in Ravenclaw, and Tom Riddle Sr. had been a muggle, as she had suggested in the first place. He had looked in vain for any trace of "Riddle", and found none. So, defeated at last, he had taken up on Covington's suggestion and looked for the name Marvolo –Tom's middle name.

It didn't take him much effort to find the name "Gaunt" in a book in the library. (Ancient Bloodlines, Pure all the way) It turned out that the Gaunts were a very prominent ancient Wizarding pureblood family. –Directly related to Salazar Slytherin himself. Marvolo Gaunt had been the last one of the Gaunt bloodline to attend Hogwarts, many, many years ago. After that, only rumor prevailed: It seemed that Merope Gaunt, daughter of Marvolo, had run off with a muggle of sorts from down at the village, while Marvolo and her brother Morfin were holed up in Azkaban, the Wizarding prison. The muggle had yet to be named, but there was a description that states that he was tall, dark-haired, fair-skinned, very handsome, and dark-eyed. He was very wealthy and the son of the village squire.

Tom was disgusted. His mother had been a witch? And yet, she had succumbed to the mortal weakness of death. She was a disgrace to all wizardkind. –And she had stuck him with the name of his pathetic ex-father who had foolishly abandoned her and his son, as he had found out in several other volumes on bloodlines. But he would pay, one day, Tom would make him suffer for all the pain he had caused him. But moreover, he had despised himself for believing that his father was the pureblood. He hated that he had to resort to researching Covington's suggestion. After all, Tom Riddle hated being wrong.

He sighed, coming out of his memories. It was long since then. He was now in his sixth year at Hogwarts. Intelligent, Handsome, and ever the Charming young man that he was, he had bewitched most of the staff into believing his façade. –Except Professor Dumbledore, of course; he had revealed just a little too much information upon their first meeting. However, he was at the peak of his powers now and looking for more followers. He looked down at the list again. Amaryllis Covington. It seemed that she thought she had revealed too much in their first conversation too. It might have been different though, had she not been sorted into Ravenclaw. They had grown far apart after that, never acknowledging each other's presence in the hallways or classes. And yet, they were too much alike, he supposed. Both silent and observant, both clever and superior, both teacher's pets, and both rivaling each other in matters of schoolwork and grades. He had overheard her telling one of her friends, -or so he assumed, as she had many-, Rachel Davison, that the Sorting Hat had considered her for Gryffindor, as he supposed she was quite brave, but then ruled out that option, saying that she would not go rushing to others' aid that quickly. She also had said that the Hat had very nearly almost put her in Slytherin, due to the closeness of her bloodline and, it had said, the fact that she would save her own skin and put herself before others; self-preservation. An important trait, being the subtle manipulator that she was.

Tom almost smiled at the thought: Amaryllis Covington in Slytherin? She wouldn't survive. –But then again, what did he know? She had almost been sorted there, and she herself harbored many Slytherin-like qualities that she would never admit to. Ravenclaw and Slytherin were quite similar. Except that Ravenclaws tended to be a bit less heartless, and they would choose to always do the right thing with their capabilities; choosing good over evil. But Tom supposed Evil was only considered Evil in the eyes of the good.

True enough, Amaryllis fitted somewhere between the molded stereotype for the typical Ravenclaw and the typical Slytherin. This was why he was hesitant to include her in his plans. He wasn't sure if she would report him or turn him in, or on the other hand, be willing to participate. But he doubted that. However, she was quite a prize to gain. If he were to have her in his fold, he would benefit greatly. But he supposed they would clash; Amaryllis was a leader, not a follower, and Tom was a leader too. He would just have to get to know her a little better. Ravenclaws were much more inclined towards Slytherin House than any of the other houses. Mainly because they shared similar opinions. –Other than the pureblood vs. Half-blood vs. Mudbloods. Ravenclaw house had mixed blood, whereas Slytherin house was as pure as they could get. True, it had been hard to reach the level of reverence and respect that he had now, being as he was, Half-Blood. But the fact that his Ancestor had been Salazar Slytherin countered that tiny flaw in his character. There were still some Slytherins that called him "Mudblood", but they would be taken care of soon enough. The animosity directed towards him had died down after the years –not completely quenched- but he knew that it could never reach that point. They would come around eventually, after he had become the most powerful sorcerer in the world. He was almost already at the half-way point; conquer the school, conquer the world. 2 small steps to success.

He folded up the paper and stashed it in his pocket. He picked up his bag and set off to Transfiguration. He knew that the teacher (Professor Pipewringer- the substitute for Professor Dumbledore) would not be upset. He could simply say that he had to take care of some Prefect Duties. The professor wouldn't mind, after all, he knew that, Tom Riddle, star pupil, Role model, would Never Ever, betray his trust.

What he probably put in the back of his mind was the fact that, whatever else he may have been, Tom Riddle was still a Slytherin.


	2. You Can't Charm Everyone

**I Know Not Love**

**Chapter 2**

**You Can't Charm Everyone**

**lavya0393**

**(I know that the chamber of secrets was supposed to be opened in Tom's fifth year, but for the purposes of this story, let's just make it sixth, ok?)**

Disclaimer: _Anything you recognize from HP belongs to JK Rowling unfortunately for me. However, characters I make up, e.g. Amaryllis Covington are, in deed, mine.

* * *

_

Tom Riddle may have been distracted all through Transfiguration, but he was still the best student there. Today, they were doing minor appearance charms.

"Can anyone tell me the incantation for the Level 1 appearance charm?" Tiny Professor Pipewringer asked, and looked, as usual, in Tom Riddle's direction.

Tom barely registered that a question was being asked, -he had more important things to dwell on- but he raised his hand lazily in the air anyway, knowing that he would be the only one to do so. He also knew that half the points in the Slytherin hourglass were only racked up because of him; he was brains of his house, and he knew they would practically be crawling in dirt without him. Professor Pipewringer's voice sounded again, and this time, Tom was ready for it. He almost opened his mouth to answer when he realized what the teacher had said.

"Oh, what a wonderful change! Yes, Ms. Covington, if you would be so kind…"

Tom turned his head just 45 degrees. There, two rows in front of him and to his right, Amaryllis Covington was sitting upright, her back incredibly stiff, with her hand in the air.

"The incantation for the appearance change spell is _apparecio._"

"Oh! Well done, Ms. Covington! 10 points to Ravenclaw- I see somebody's been studying up! –You'd better watch your back now, Mr. Riddle!" Professor Pipewringer squealed in delight; he was head of Ravenclaw house.

Tom Riddle growled in fury; it was one thing for her to answer a question, but to get it right, too! -That was pushing it. He chanced a glance in Amaryllis's direction. He noted that she seemed unfazed by his pronounced anger, or the fact that she had just broken somewhat of a tradition; when a professor asks a question, let Tom Riddle answer and earn points for Slytherin; in the rare occasion that he was wrong – which had never happened yet – remain silent, therefore, he can retain some dignity as to actually attempting to answer said question.

He vaguely heard Professor Pipewringer speaking again, until he realized that this class was essential, did he want to pass next year's NEWT. He tuned back in just in time to hear the assignment.

"You will be partnered with two people each, in your group you will have at least ONE member of the opposite sex, and your groups will be assigned. There are to be NO complaints, as this arrangement is FINAL. You will each be handed a kitten, -feel free to name it if desired-" Here there were squeals of delight among many of the girls, undeterred, Professor Pipewringer valiantly tried to regain the attention of his audience. Trying and failing miserably, he decided to continue on for those few people that were actually paying attention, "You will attempt to change the breed of the kitten – and by this I mean, just appearance-wise, -making it look like a different breed, and if you do not know any cat breeds, I do have a book here, or you may visit the library, which, I dare say, does have at least a few texts entirely devoted to kittens and cat breeding. This project is long-term. As this is quite difficult, you will have a varied amount of time to complete the project, depending on which breed of cat you will attempt to change the kittens to. However, I will only give you, on minimum, 1 week, and only up to 5 weeks maximum to complete the assignment successfully. You will complete a form here, telling me exactly which type of breed you have now, and which you will try to change it to. You must have the consent of your ENTIRE group before handing in the form. –You will all willingly have to sign a separate consent form. You will have to take care of your kitten also. If, by some chance you manage to…damage… your cat, you will only be allowed to take one more. Here behind me, I have a list of group arrangements… you may sort yourselves into your respective groups now."

On the blackboard, a table consisting of names and assigned kittens appeared. There was a mad rush towards the teacher's desk, as though the class really couldn't see the board from where they were sitting. Tom idly glanced up at the board; his eyes raked the list and finally found his name:

Tom Riddle, Abraxas Malfoy, Amaryllis Covington: Kitten #3

He looked at the only other person still remaining in their seat: Amaryllis Covington. He saw that she had also directed her attention towards the board and he waited for her to find her group. He saw her eyes darken and her face adopt an expression of deepest distaste. He knew she had found her group, and to his utmost satisfaction, saw that her gaze wavered and her eyes flickered towards where he was sitting. He smirked. She looked away, but didn't move. Abraxas Malfoy, a fellow Slytherin and follower, had already collected their kitten. It was a smart little Persian cat, which was playfully licking Abraxas's fingers. To Tom's distaste, he saw that Abraxas actually was enjoying the kitten. This bothered him; it would not do him any good if one of his closest followers went soft.

Tom waited for Amaryllis to come over to him, but she didn't move. He wondered what she was playing at. Everyone knew that when it came to group projects, Tom Riddle did not move himself for anyone. They would have to come over to him. It was his way of showing everyone that they were inferior and he was their superior. Apparently, Amaryllis hadn't picked up on this observation. She was waiting patiently at her desk, and finally, she turned her head towards him, an expression of expectancy upon her face. He looked at her incredulously and even more so when Abraxas pulled up a chair opposite her and sat down. Acknowledging defeat, he picked up his stuff and sauntered over; sometimes you had to lose a battle to win the war, right? He was going to show her exactly who held all the cards around here.

"Isn't he just the cutest?" Abraxas cooed. Amaryllis blinked. She had not expected the Slytherins to be at all interested in this project or their kittens, much less, affectionate towards them.

"Yea…Definitely…" She trailed off as Tom Riddle finally decided to join them. He was looking quite revolted at the sight of Abraxas stroking the kitten.

"Abraxas?" He said in a commanding tone, as though reminding the other boy exactly how he was supposed to be acting. Abraxas seemed to come out of his little reverie.

"Wha - ? Oh! Right, sorry."

Amaryllis decided to break up the tension. "So, what should we name it?"

"Well, it would help to know if it's a girl or boy you know…" Abraxas stated.

"Well, why don't we just name it a neutral name so it really wouldn't matter?" She suggested. That seemed like a good idea to her.

Tom Riddle was looking at her with a glazed expression on his face, as though he really couldn't care less. This aggravated her. She was not used to being ignored or overlooked.

"Tom!" She snapped her fingers in front of his face. He snapped out of his little daydream and smirked at her, as if to say that she just put him to sleep with her nonsensical words. This infuriated her even more. She decided it was time to take charge. "Alright, we'll name it Alex, so no one will have to worry, Abraxas, go get the forms, -alright, fine! -Take the stupid kitten with you!" She almost yelled, losing her patience, as Abraxas whined and walked away, looking scandalized that she had insulted his precious ball of fur.

Tom looked amused, much to her chagrin. He was leaning back in his chair and smirking. Was smirking all he knew how to do! Unfortunately, everything about Tom Riddle annoyed her to no end. She didn't know how she could have possibly striked up conversation on their first Hogwarts train ride. –But then again, she had been only eleven, and quite stupid if she said so herself. –But then again, so had he. She knew he had unwittingly revealed much more information about himself than he would have done now, and so had she, as she realized later on. She decided then and there that she would give anything to wipe that evil smirk off of Tom Riddle's perfect little face. "What on earth are you smirking at?" She asked, exasperated.

"You." He said simply.

"Repeat that for me." She said.

"You." He replied.

She was quickly becoming irritated now, he was playing a semantics game with her and she knew, and she also knew that she didn't like it. "Well stop it!"

"Irritated quickly aren't we, now?" He smirked even more.

"Yes, _we _are." She shot back. "You could irritate the life out of a professional saint. In fact, you _disgust_ me, Tom Riddle."

"Feeling's mutual, Ms. Covington." She said venomously.

As not to hurt her eyes, she averted him, and fixed the instead, upon Abraxas, who was now struggling to hold his clawing kitten in one hand to stop from reaching the forms which were in another, while making sure the kitten didn't maul him. It was proving to be quite a difficult, yet amusing feat to watch someone undertake.

"Bloody Hell." She said, standing up to relieve Abraxas of the kitten which was now attempting to crawl up his sleeve. "This is pathetic."

After they had at last managed to get the kitten under control and sign the forms, class was almost over. In the five minutes that they had left, Abraxas was sent off to the Hospital Wing to get some antidote and creams for the scratches and bruises that he had attained from Alex the Kitten. Amaryllis and Tom moved their desks back to their original places and gathered their belongings. The lesson had been quite tiring, what with all the screeching, meowing, energetic kittens running loose around the classroom. Tom hauled his heavy bag onto his shoulder, and walked up to Amaryllis.

"Tell me, Covington, why do you harbor such animosity towards me?" he asked in a mock-innocent voice.

She turned around, apparently annoyed now. "I see right through your whole I'm-a-good-guy-and-nothing-else act and whatever other façade you put up, so don't play innocent with me, Tom Riddle. And let me tell you one other thing: You can't charm everyone." With the final statement, she turned her back on him and stalked out of the classroom, leaving a quite overwhelmed Tom Riddle standing in the doorway, left to figure out the puzzling enigma that was Amaryllis Covington.


	3. Incapable

**I Know Not Love**

**CHAPTER 3**

**Incapable**

**lavya0393**

Disclaimer: I, hereby, regrettably announce that I do NOT own HP. That honor is still claimed by JK Rowling. 

Sorry it took so long to update; Technical difficulties.

Thank You to brunette-barbie14 for being my First (and Only Reviewer-so far-), and for those kind words; they are much Appreciated,

Lavya

**Short chapter, I know, but essential for the story. –You'll see how much he prides his work and reputation. And other things… kind of the cement for the story… Chamber of Secrets is mentioned…**

Tom Riddle stepped into the Slytherin common room, hoping to get some peace and quiet. He was sadly disappointed, however, as he spotted a flock of girls clearly waiting to pounce the moment he stepped through the concealed door in the wall. He silently passed through the entrance, and sidestepped his fan club. He almost made it to the door of the boys' dormitories when he was ambushed. He sighed and turned around to face his attacker. It was Whitney Crowley, a particularly annoying fifth-year, who had recently taken to stalking him excessively.

"What do you want Whitney?" He inquired quickly; he had no intention of being in her presence another second longer.

"Oh, Tom! That makes it sound almost as if you want me to disappear! That would be quite hurtful you know!" She said in a pseudo-exasperated tone.

"Of course I wouldn't want you to leave; that would be quite awful wouldn't it, now?" He asked rhetorically. However, apparently, Whitney was seemingly oblivious to his sarcasm as she decided to cuddle up closer. He prayed for help, and it came almost instantaneously in the form of Abraxas Malfoy.

"Hey Tom – oh, hello, Whitney," he wrinkled up his nose in disgust, "Anyway, Covington told me to give you this –" He groped around in his bag for something and pulled out a small kitten, "she said it would be good if we took turns looking after it, and she even made up a schedule, look! –I'm due to take Alex in two days! –She cut your time short because she said that you probably would've murdered the kitten by then; I think she thinks you're incapable, but whatever…here." He shoved the cat onto Tom and held up a schedule for him to see. It was very detailed and colour-coded; Covington was quite the over-achiever. Tom's eyes thanked Abraxas silently.

"Well, Whitney, It seems I have to deal with this, if you'll excuse me now…" Before she could say a word, he had taken off to the Boy's dormitories.

Up in his dormitory, lying on his four-poster bed, Tom Riddle thought back to what Abraxas had said. "'I think she thinks you're incapable…'"

Tom was incensed. He was by no means Incapable. He was probably the most capable student here. Trust Amaryllis Covington to poke at the only thing that could fire him up: His academic reputation. He had worked day and night to get to where he was and placate the teachers the way he did. He was the brightest, smartest, Most Capable student Hogwarts had ever seen. She would soon see just how capable he was. He thought back to his most recent discovery just a few weeks ago. They all said it was legend, but Tom knew better. He would show them the light… (A/N, I Love that saying!) Why else would the founder of his own house have installed it here? So that when the time was right, his heir would rid the school of those who were unwelcome to walk its halls. Tom smiled again. But then it faded; what if it only was legend? There was a slight possibility. But he would soon eclipse that worry. It made sense after all, didn't it?

Either way, he was Not incapable. He looked at the schedule that he held in his hand along with the squirming kitten. He put the kitten down on his bed where it curled up to sleep. On the back of the schedule was a list of items that one would need in order to take care of Alex: Milk, cat food, basket, clean sheets…etc. This was more trouble than its worth, he thought. He flipped over the paper. He looked up at the key. His time squares were colored in green. He looked back at the chart and to his dismay, but also slight happiness, he saw that there were only about 3-4 green squares; the majority of them were yellow. He looked back at the key and saw that the yellow squares were labeled with "Abraxas Malfoy". He sighed again, and got up. He would go and find Amaryllis Covington to demand that he be offered more time to take care of Alex. He would show her that she was as good as any of them, if not better at taking care of Alex.

The truth was, Tom Riddle didn't have many things to practice taking care of anyway. He had never shown any affection towards anything, so he didn't know where to start. But he'd figure it out, after all, everyone else did. So it shouldn't be that hard should it? He pulled on his shoes and walked briskly out of the dormitories and out of the common room.

Tom Riddle had never been Incapable.


	4. Revelations While Duelling

**I Know Not Love**

**Chapter 4**

**Revelations While Duelling**

**lavya0393**

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP whatsoever.**

Will someone else please review?

Thanks.

x.x.

Tom wandered around the castle for about a half an hour until he finally reached what he suspected was the Ravenclaw common room. He stopped and stared. He really was quite in a fix. What had he been thinking? Honestly? Even if he was sure that this was where the Ravenclaw common room was, what was he supposed to do? Wait around until Covington came out? After all, he didn't know their password. This had to be the stupidest thing he'd done in a while.

He was standing impatiently outside a large tapestry of a soaring Eagle embroidered in bronze and blue. It was far away from the Slytherin quarters, but no less comfy. He had seen where the Gryffindor common rooms were; outside a picture of a plump young lady in a pink silk dress. (A/N: In my story I've decided that portraits age and develop in time. But not ghosts, for that ruins part of the story.) It was up in a Tower, where it was decidedly warm. Ravenclaw had theirs in a corner of the school, in the west wing tower. –It was far from warm and homey; it was cold and dark. But not yet as dark as the Slytherin dorms, what with all their armory and such.

Just as Tom decided to head back to his dorms or maybe wander around for a bit instead of making a fool of himself out here, he heard a shout. He turned around at the sound of his name being called.

"Riddle!" It was a short young boy that Tom had seen around a few times. Probably in 4th year, no doubt. "What are you doing here?" he questioned rather timidly.

"You're a Ravenclaw right?" Tom checked, and when the boy nodded his head, he continued: "I need to see Ms. Covington immediately, please."

The boy suddenly looked surprisingly concerned, "She's not in trouble is she? Do you need her to do something for you? -Because I could do it for you instead, I mean, she's been stressed and all –" He broke off as Tom raised his eyebrow at him amusedly.

"Just get her for me, will you…" It was a command. The boy stammered and nodded his head, then he paused.

"What?" Tom asked, irritated now.

"Well, I need to say the password but you're here….and you're in Slytherin…"

"Oh, for gods sake, just say it!" Tom was agitated; he was wasting valuable studying time already.

But the boy, still reluctant, snapped his fingers at the tapestry instead. The bird suddenly came to life and bowed its head. "Get Amaryllis for me." The boy said. With a sweep of its great wings, the bird screeched loudly and disappeared out of the side of its tapestry. Tom supposed there was an identical tapestry or portrait on the other side of the entrance and it had gone there, but he didn't want to ask. –Tom hated someone having to explain things to him. That was part of the reason he… disliked Covington so much.

A few seconds later, the bird reappeared, and there was a loud, klaxon-like groaning sound from behind the tapestry of the bird. There were several clicks, as though cogs were working away, and bolts unlocking inside the walls. Then, the tapestry folded upwards and wall folded origami-style into itself. Almost like the passageway into Diagon Alley from the Leaky Cauldron. Behind it, stood an irritated Amaryllis Covington, huffy and arrogant as ever, thought Tom. He caught a glimpse of stone and rugs before she had stepped forward and the wall stretched itself back into one and the picture of the Raven descended down again.

Amaryllis smiled at the boy, who had gone furiously red by now, "Thank You for informing me, Damien…You can leave now." The boy blushed again and ambled off. Tom cocked an eyebrow after him.

"What did you want Riddle?" she said, abandoning the soft tone she had used with Damien, her voice becoming cold and icy once more.

"Tut, tut, there now, what happened to the sugary voice you used with your little boy toy back there?" Tom was not going to be intimidated. He smirked as Amaryllis quickly became infuriated. How easy she was to get at.

"He's not my "boy toy" and you better shut the hell up and tell me what you want." Amaryllis was breathing heavily, but she would not allow herself to be taken in that easily. She just had to calm herself.

"How can I shut up and still tell you what I'm here for?" He crowed. He loved to torment her, but it seemed she was struggling to control herself now.

Amaryllis could not take anymore; she had always had a low threshold for annoyance, so she completely lost it now, "Just tell me what the hell you want Riddle!!!"

Tom seemed a little taken aback, but quickly regained his composure. "Yelling won't do any good, Ms. Covington." He smirked again, as her anger subsided as quickly as it came. She really was bipolar.

She took several deep breaths and spoke again, "What are you here for, Riddle?"

He took a small piece of parchment from inside his robes and flapped it in her face, "I have a complaint." He said simply and unfolded the parchment. It was the timetable she had drawn up for their group.

Amaryllis smirked, "I don't see a problem with it." She paused for effect as Tom's face contorted with rage again. "I _clearly _state that you take Alex only 3 days for our _entire _project. I don't see a problem with that; In fact, I'm only really doing you a favor; Alex would be too much for you to handle, therefore I was feeling generous and decided that, out of the goodness of my heart, Abraxas would take your rightful shifts. After all, he does love the cat, whereas you don't…It's almost like killing two birds with one stone, is it not?"

"Well, I'm afraid that _I_ do see a problem with this. I am _perfectly _capable of taking care of that accursed kitten and I _shall_. You can recreate this schedule and tell Abraxas that I will be taking back my shifts. I can handle anything you throw at me, Covington." Tom's voice became dangerously soft with that last line.

However, Amaryllis wasn't going to back down that easily. "Is that so, Riddle?"

"Quite so, Covington." He answered.

"I doubt it."

"Care to test…?"

"Fine." Amaryllis ended the verbal sparring indefinitely. "We'll settle this formally, shall we?" It was a rhetorical question but Tom answered anyway.

"Yes, I do think so." With that, Amaryllis and Tom both turned their backs on each other and walked ten steps away, then they turned around, wands at the ready above their heads. A duel.

"On the count of three, Covington, and don't expect me to play nice."

"I know the rules, Riddle," She said venomously, "and I hadn't expected anything less of you."

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Tom.

Amaryllis blocked the curse with a well placed, "Protego!"

There was a bustle of noise from Tom's end of the corridor; students were running to see what all the commotion was about, and in those few seconds that Amaryllis was distracted, Tom seized his chance to attack her once again.

"Diffindo!" He yelled.

A small gash appeared on Amaryllis's right forearm. She only winced as the blood came seeping out, but now, her face was set in resolve.

"Tarantellegra!" She yelled. "Reducto!"

The latter hit Tom squarely in the chest, and he staggered at the force of the spell as a cut appeared. Tom was furious; he had allowed her to get him, but now, he was going to go all out. Curse whoever said you shouldn't hurt a girl; Amaryllis Covington proved that she was ready to take anyone on, so why stand aside and let her win?

"Stupefy!" He yelled. She dodged the curse.

In return, Amaryllis screamed a random hex that Tom easily deflected, but she wouldn't give up, "Incarcerous!" She yelled angrily, and tight ropes bloomed from the end of her wand and sought to wrap themselves around Tom. He was caught off guard and had some difficulty unraveling himself. In the end, he sliced the ropes, and they hit a first year in the face as they went flying backwards into the crowd that had now formed around the Duelling Duo.

"Sectumsempra!" Tom yelled, springing forward. Amaryllis made to dodge it, but it caught the tip of her left shoulder, and she was hauled back. Her shoulder was now bleeding profusely from the impact. She muttered a basic healing spell, which minimized the bleeding, and got back on her feet to face the now smirking Tom Riddle. She wasn't giving him any sort of satisfaction. She muttered a nonverbal spell, ("Levicorpus!") in her head and flicked her wand, once again caught off guard, Tom Riddle flew into the air. At about 15 feet in the air, she said the counter-spell, ("Liberacorpus!") while flicking her wand lazily, and Tom crashed back to the ground.

Tom wasn't about to back out either, though, and he mustered up enough energy to scream a curse at her, and in a blinding flash of violet light that swept like a blade through Amaryllis's chest, she was catapulted back and hit the far wall. Gasping for breath and clutching her chest, she lifted herself to her knees, and said, with as much force as she could, "Lacarnum Inflamari!" A jet of fire erupted from the tip of her wand and aimed itself at Tom. The end result was that his robes caught on fire. It was a while before he had summoned up enough strength to think of a spell to put the fire out. "Aguamenti." He said, and a stream of water fell from his wand, slowly drenching the fire, but not completely extinguishing it.

"Here, let me help you out with that Riddle." Amaryllis said feebly, and she swished her wand and muttered a few words. A huge amount of ice-cold water was dumped on Tom, as though an invisible bucket had poured water on him. He looked quite bedraggled, as though he was some sole survivor of a terrible flash flood. The crowd around the two started laughing. Tom was incensed; how dare she make him look like a fool! He raised his wand to say another incantation, but before he could, there was a shrill shriek echoed from down the hall, and the crowd parted slowly to reveal a very flustered young woman. It was Professor Rotaburg, the Herbology teacher.

She froze for a minute as she surveyed the scene: Two bleeding, bruised, cut exhausted, weak teenagers, one burned and drenched, the other clutching her chest and gasping for breath. There were several damaged portraits framing the scene and a broken chandelier, its tiny crystal jewels sprayed all over the place. Then she lost it.

"WHAT has been going on here!" Professor Rotaburg screamed, "Damaging school property, injuring a fellow student, what next! WHAT were you two THINKING? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION! You two will BOTH serve DETENTIONS… TOGETHER for the next WEEK AND A HALF until you learn to TOLERATE each other!" She finished her rant with a mad gleam in her eye as both students groaned. "You had better get up the Hospital Wing and sort yourselves out! Oh, and you had better go to…" She ended, indicating the poor first-year that had gotten whip-lashed in the face by the ropes during the duel. "As for the REST OF YOU!" She erupted again, facing the crowd, most of whom were shrinking back, "Why did you NOT REPORT this to ME IMMEDIATELY? Get BACK TO WHEREVER YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THIS INSTANT!" With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off. The crowd also dispersed soon after that. Only Tom and Amaryllis were left in the midst of the wreckage, watching the small first year hurry off to the Hospital Wing, clutching his face desperately.

Amaryllis heaved a sight, and winced as she moved herself. Allowing herself to catch her breath, she grimaced and made to stand up, gripping the wall behind her for support. She immediately clutched her chest again in pain. As she stood, Tom observed the damage he had wreaked on her. There were cuts and abrasions all along her legs, her robes were torn in some places, and so was her shirt, revealing her slender figure, which was now leaning against the wall. She had a purplish spot on her cheek where he had bruised her. That was saying something as it took a lot to bruise her tough skin. She had a long, deep gash in her shoulder, which, despite the minor healing spell, refused to cooperate and was still bleeding heavily. Her hair was ruffled and singed, and he suspected her wrist was sprained. There was also a red mark on the side of her next and one on her side. He had to admit, he had hurt her pretty badly. He almost felt a twinge of guilt when he remembered that he was in the same situation as her, if not worse. He had to hand it to her; she did duel well, he thought, as he examined his burned hand. He sighed, he had better get up to the Infirmary soon, but it hurt too much to move.

Amaryllis suddenly gave a small cry of pain as she put pressure on her left leg; Tom suspected it had been broken. He felt another stab of guilt but shrugged it off. He had done what he had to, being a Slytherin, and to uphold his reputation as fine master of the Dark Arts; DADA was his best subject, as he always excelled.

Amaryllis spoke up, breaking the awkward silence, "Nice wandwork, Riddle," she said, being as ever the sportive girl that she was, "But you have to admit, I kicked your ass." She smirked again, as she walked past him and stalked off to the infirmary. How she managed it, he didn't know, as she was beaten up badly, but if it was one thing that he knew about Amaryllis Covington, it was this: She NEVER let you have the last word; she always had to make an impression. –And make an impression, she did.

And if it was another thing that Tom Riddle realized that afternoon in disbelief, it was the fact that he had finally met his match. Even if it was only Amaryllis Covington.

–What was it that they always said… that there's always going to be someone in the world that's better than you? Well, it seemed that Tom Riddle was going to have to be the only exception, and no one else was going to get in his way. _Especially_ not Amaryllis Covington, of all people.

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	5. Aftermath

**I Know Not Love**

**Chapter 5**

**Aftermath**

**lavya0393**

Disclaimer: HP is NOT mine, yes, I am ashamed to admit it, but it is so.

_Thank You to my first four reviewers, I-See-Thestrals, DarkHonda, brunette-barbie14, and grounded angel2. I love you ALL!_

Tom soon picked himself up after Amaryllis left and hurried off to the Hospital Wing. When he arrived, he was placed on a bed next to Amaryllis. The matron, Madam Grinley was most upset when she heard what they'd been doing.

"Tom! I'd never have expected this of you! You haven't even been down to the Hospital Wing since your first year, when you fell in the lake and had to come to get some pepper-up potion. -And now you've been duelling! You've certainly grown up a lot -not the boy I used to know, now are you? You've landed poor Ms. Covington in here too! Look at the state of her!" Madam Grinley sighed, and bustled off to get some more ointment to put on their wounds.

After his little reprimand, he felt somewhat ashamed. He looked over at the bed next to him where Amaryllis lay sprawled. She was fast asleep - knocked out, he assumed, from either the pain she was in, or the potion she was given. She actually looked peaceful for once. Her hair fluttering over her face every time she took another labored breath. She was covered singularly in a dark green robe. He smirked; Slytherin colors. He saw that her clothes were sitting in a small heap at the foot of her bed. He wondered what she would do when she woke up and saw that she was covered in a green robe, with ointment covering her forearms, and Tom Riddle staring at her avidly.

This last thought shook him out of his reverie, and just soon enough, for the matron came back with several more tubes of the same, nasty-smelling ointment, and walked over to Amaryllis's bed. She moved to unbutton the green robe, but seeing that Tom was staring, she shot him a very stern glance as he averted his eyes obediently. There were no curtains on her bed, and it seemed that the matron was rather regretting that she had placed Amaryllis on this bed too. -But what could Tom say; as immune and different as he was to his surroundings, he was still a raging hormonal teenager. His body would only allow him that much of a slip-up in his making.

Try as he might, he couldn't help but take another glance at the bed beside his. To his immense relief, when the robe fell away, he saw that she was still covered. She was wearing a short, lacy, black night-thing which he guessed was of her own compliance. He had expected blue, but then again, how would he have known what she liked to wear under her school things? Tom stopped his train of thinking; he didn't like where this was going. All the same, he looked back at her figure, laying on the white sheets of the crisply clean bed, wearing only a flimsy black undergarment, with her hair splaying in all directions. It was an also added plus that she was unconscious. He knew he was acting differently than what any other normal teenage boy would do in his place, but he couldn't help that he _was _different.

He looked away a split-second before Madam Grinley looked up to check that he wasn't staring. He thought again: He could always use this against her, right? To wind her up even more? He grinned at what he thought her reaction might be if… or more precisely when, he told her that he had seen her in that black thing. She would most likely scream in outrage and slap him, hex him, curse him, and kick him. She would also yell at him loudly enough to make sure he had gone deaf. He smirked to himself…yes, that would be ideal blackmail.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the matron addressing him again. She was wrapping Amaryllis's leg in a tight splint.

"Mr. Riddle! I'm going to tend to the first year now, so if you would be kind enough to finish rubbing on the ointment?" She had deemed him trustworthy enough to take care of Amaryllis? -The girl he had put in the hospital wing? He then heard a small whimpering in the corner and turned his head in time to see the small first year duck his head between his hands and hide under the covers. He sighed and nodded.

"Wait, Riddle!" It was the matron again, 'We need to fix you up moderately first, too." She performed a healing spell and he felt some of his cuts close up, and his arm felt a little prickly. He looked at it, expecting to see the burned, blackened flesh and experience pain, but instead he saw his smooth, creamy skin again. He was relieved as he flexed his fingers leisurely. Madam Grinley waved her wand again, and he felt the pain in his chest disappear. "Well, that's the best I can do for now, -you haven't got as many deep cuts as Covington, but you aren't too well off either, well, at least you're conscious enough to help me…" She handed him the tube of clear ointment and nodded her head pointedly towards the unconscious girl on the bed. She then conjured some curtains for her bed and left him to it. Tom gingerly walked over and pulled the curtain behind him.

Tom sniffed the tube and felt instantly nauseous. He should not have been made to do this; he was above such things, and besides, that was the matron's job. -Weren't there anymore people working here? He sighed in resignation and started to apply the cream to Amaryllis's wounds. He decided to start at the top and work his way down. He moved her head to one side to put cream on the gash in her cheek. As he swiped one long finger on her skin, he noticed that she was very cold indeed. Was she always that way or was it just now, when she had lost a lot of blood? It was also then that he realized that there was a singular tube attached to her wrist and running all the way up the little blood sac at the opposite side of her bed. Now Tom felt realized how much it must have taken for Amaryllis to hobble all the way up to Infirmary by herself, he felt another pang of shame. Had the nurse purposefully made him apply this cream only so that he could see exactly what he had done? Well, he had to admit, it had appeared like Amaryllis had done much worse to him back at the site of the duel, but in reality, it was him who had battered the other up the worst.

As much as he tried to stop it, Tom couldn't help the tiny smirk that formed on his face now. _He _had won the duel. -And Amaryllis knew it. He saved that singular thought as he continued applying more of the treatment. He went to her collarbone and then her shoulder, dabbing the oozing, thick, gloopy liquid on all the cuts and numerous abrasions. It was quite difficult as he had to squeeze the tube very hard before anything came out, and it had a high viscosity so he had to wait quite a while for it to settle on his finger before he could move to treat the wounds.

As Tom was rubbing the cream thing on the girl's upper arm, Amaryllis suddenly stirred, and jerked. A small scream escaped her lips. Tom was confused; what had he done? Nothing. But before he could do anything, the curtain was ripped back and the aging head of the matron was peering beadily through.

"Mr. Riddle! What are you doing to the poor girl!"

"I didn't do anything, Madam Grinley, she just jerked and screamed." Tom replied calmly.

The nurse moved to examine Amaryllis, but not before she had snatched the tube of ointment away from Tom and motioned for him to move back to his own bed. Tom complied, but watched carefully as the matron unhooked the blood sac and removed the tube from the semi-conscious girl's wrist. Amaryllis winced as the needle came out of her wrist and her hand was grasped roughly. The matron wrapped several bandages around her wrist and pushed the stand containing the now-empty sac of blood -(she had vanished it)- away. She then measured Amaryllis's pulse and checked to make sure that her blood pressure was in order. Madam Grinley used her wand to close up as many wounds that didn't need stitches or further treatment as she could. She then put the green robe around Amaryllis again, and pointed her wand at her face. She held a small, clear crystal bottle ready.

"Enervate!" She said and as soon as Amaryllis blinked her eyes, the Matron had uncorked the tiny bottle and forced the silvery contents down Amaryllis's throat. She suddenly appeared quite blank. Tom recognized this effect; Veritaserum. -But what did she need Veritaserum for, he wondered as the matron began the questionnaire.

"Do you remember your name?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Amaryllis Catarinna Shirley Yvonne Covington III." She spoke very clearly. Tom was amazed that someone could have such a long name. And the fact that there were two others with that long name before her.

"Very good," the matron said, "now, can you tell me the last thing you remember from reality before you fell unconscious?"

Tom was confused; from "reality?", did she have a dream while she was unconscious? What would he know; he wasn't an expert on the human mind.

"I remember you giving me medication to put me to sleep on this bed after I'd suffered injuries in a duel that I had with him." She nodded her head towards Tom, who was still watching.

"Very good," the nurse said again, "Now, can you tell me why you screamed - was Mr. Riddle hurting you?" Tom scowled; how dare she?

"No, Mr. Riddle was not hurting me, but I had a dream."

"What kind of dream?"

"A nightmare." Amaryllis answered simply. Here, her face contorted in effort; it seemed that she was trying to resist the effects of the potion, but why though? What did she not want to say out loud? She seemed more indifferent when answering too… as though she was trying to be as vague as possible.

"What was the nightmare about?" the nurse continued.

Here Amaryllis tried to resist again, but gave in, pausing as she spoke. She was choosing her words carefully. "It was about… A bad night that I had."

"Could you expand?" the matron prompted.

Amaryllis struggled with herself fruitlessly again before she responded. But this time, she didn't give anything away. "No." She said. Tom was amazed that she had even the sense to try to resist, though he knew it wasn't a rare feat. But she continued on. "I can't tell you. It's too complicated. But I had this same nightmare before once… when I was living it."

The nurse froze, but quickly regained herself, " Yes, that will be all for now," She took another small bottle from the inside pocket of her robes and fed it to Amaryllis; the antidote. "You both will have to stay the night, you're too beaten up and exhausted to leave. You will both be dispatched in the early morning, now get some rest." With that, she moved away to get some supplies, muttering about carelessness and no enforcement.

Amaryllis chanced a glance at Tom, who was still staring at her, though this time making no effort to hide the smirk that covered his face. She turned her head away, and irritably pulled the hangings to their full length.

Tom was now staring at a sterile, blue opaque curtain, his mind swarming with a jumble of incoherent thoughts.


	6. A note

I Know Not Love

CHAPTER 6

A Note

lavya0393

Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling's amazing creations.

A/N: sorry for not updating for so long, but school's got me pretty preoccupied right now. I'll try to be more faithful in future, thanks for waiting. And thank you to ihate54 for pointing out that Professor Dumbledore was the transfiguration teacher and Dippet was headmaster, but it needs to be a little different for my story to work.

Tom awoke drowsily, putting his arm up in front of his eyes to shield them from the soft light that was now pouring in through the glass of the windows. The beams of light illuminated the slightly still-darkened hospital wing. One of the rays was shining directly upon Tom's face. He shifted sideways and lifted the crisp bed sheets above his eyes to protect himself. He was now staring at the same blue curtains as last night. He knew that somewhere behind them, Amaryllis was hidden, presumably still sleeping. He imagined the way her hair might flutter from her breath. He shook himself to rid him of the revolting thoughts passing through his sensitively hormonal mind. Instead, he glanced at the clock on the opposite wall: 6:35 AM approximately. Classes started at 9:00, and he usually woke up at 7:00. He would have probably been excused from classes had he awoken later, but he doubted whether he would have ever slept another 2 ½ hours.

He heard a bustling noise in the corner and knew that Madam Grinley was coming to check on him. He really didn't want to miss any classes, so he sat up gingerly.

"Aaah! Mr. Riddle, finally awake are we? You seemed to have healed well!" She seemed in an exceptionally good mood today. "I'll deal with you in a moment, just let me take these curtains down and put them up on Jimmy's bed - he came in at one in the morning, goodness knows what he had been up to!" And she moved over to Amaryllis's bed and began taking down the curtains. Tom felt an usual sensation somewhere in his stomach; he was going to be seeing her again, she was probably fully healed by now. And again, he felt disgusted with himself for allowing any thought to her well-being.

Surprisingly, as the Matron finished taking down the hangings, all Tom found was clean white bed sheets and a small blue pillow. He stared, and the matron spoke again, "she left around three in the morning, Mr. Riddle, and she was surprisingly well healed, considering the amount of damage you had inflicted upon her." And this time, Tom kept his face passive, not feeling any sort of emotion whatsoever to this normally guilt-inducing statement; he was pleased with himself.

After she had put the curtains up on Jimmy's bed, she waved Tom over. He jumped out of bed and walked over to the desk in the far corner of the room. Sign out, Mr. Riddle, and don't you ever let me see you in here for duelling again!" she reprimanded, once again reverting into her usual constant bad mood.

Tom closed the heavy oak doors of the hospital wing behind him, and walked slowly in the direction of the slytherin dormitories; he needed a change of clothes. His footsteps echoed quietly against the cold cobbled stone, and he liked it. He whispered the password to the small silver snake on the pedestal next to the entrance of the dungeons. The wall gave way, and Tom stepped inside.

There was a pungent smell of firewhisky and mead in the air; there must have been a party last night. This disgusted Tom. He'd always hated parties, and much preferred the quiet of the library. He walked silently up to his dormitory, and fiddled with the drawer knobs. He pulled out some fresh robes, and discarded his old ones. After pulling on his new robes, he decided to go to the library. It was still early and he needed to finish up some work anyway. He picked up the books on his bedside cabinet and then something caught his eye. There was a single piece of paper folded up into a tiny square, resting on the edge of his bed. Tom picked it up and unfolded it. A single sentence was written in smooth, neat cursive across the middle:

_Don't Ever Touch Me Again_

Tom had a pretty good idea who was responsible for leaving him this note, but he did not know how she could have possibly gotten it up here. Lost in his thoughts, he heard the distant chime of the Owlery clock. It was 7:00. He decided not to dawdle up here any longer, and would take his occupied mind to the privacy of the Library where he could consider everything running through it.

Tom got up from the bed and slipped out of the door.


	7. Confusion

I know not Love

Chapter 7

lavya0393

The large oaken doors held on iron hinges that contained the library were bolted and locked shut. Tom sighed. This wouldn't be a problem of course, just an unnecessary hassle. As if anyone else in the entirety of Hogwarts would be tempted to enter the library at seven in the morning. As if anyone in the entirety of Hogwarts would be tempted to rush off to the library _at all. _Hurriedly, he whispered "Alohomora", thinking that they really should do more to secure such an important part of the castle. He placed two hands on the black metal handles and pushed them open.

* * *

Amaryllis Catarinna Shirley Yvonne Covington III sat hunched in a distant corner of the library. She didn't know the exact time, but she figured it was around 7 in the morning, because the early-morning light was dimly shining through the archery-holes. She was tired and exhausted but not from physical stress. There were so many things running through her mind. She had been sure to wake up extra early and sign herself out of the hospital wing. She didn't want to face Riddle after what had happened. She knew she had been very, very close to giving everything away. After all, she had been stupid enough to drink verataserum, and try as she might, she couldn't completely resist its effects.

Amaryllis had been sure to leave Riddle a note as soon as she could pull herself together. She didn't want him to ever see her in a position like that again. She had been in the library for around…. 4 hours or so, crying and struggling with herself. Everything was starting to catch up to her again, and she couldn't let it… Remembering that fateful night almost four years ago had been hard enough, but almost letting someone else get involved was far too much for her to handle. Especially someone like Riddle. Everyone knew how…different he was. There were even rumours that he was a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself. -Or that he was actually a Mudblood. A Muggle-born in Slytherin! Imagine that. They would have torn him to pieces already if that had been true. But about his ancestry….Well Everyone knew that Slytherin wasn't a sunshine-and-daisies sort of place. They had a dark reputation and Amaryllis didn't want to get involved with that sort of thing…And Riddle was the ringleader too. It wasn't good to get on his bad side, but neither would she lay down for him to walk all over her. She wasn't scared of him, but neither was she also not afraid. It was a complicated situation, a tricky business, this. It was best if she just stayed out of his way for now.

She thought back to first year, their first train ride together, and almost laughed at her naivety back then. She wondered about the rumors, and why he had lied to her about being a half-blood. -If he was a muggle-born. He might even be a pure-blood, for all she knew. But she couldn't know for sure, I mean, they had never actually talked more than that, had they? And what little communication they did have was nothing more than a few words and usually involved a few insults and insinuations. How had she every thought that she could have been friends with him? She knew how, because she was stupid, and she was eleven. Eleven-year-olds usually think that the world is a happy place, and that everyone was friendship material. So really, in short, she realized that she knew absolutely _nothing _about Tom Riddle. She didn't even really know if he was being truthful when he said he was a Half-Blood. She didn't know if he was related to Salazar Slytherin himself. In fact, all she did know was just as much as everyone else in their year, and possibly in the whole school: that he was undeniably intelligent, and positively charming. And, in her opinion, a stuck-up, manipulative, cold-hearted, evil wretch. There was absolutely nothing good about him whatsoever.

She wondered why it was always the quiet, handsome ones that turn out to be the biggest jerks. Amaryllis slapped herself suddenly. What was she thinking? How _dare _she even think such thoughts? Handsome? Tom Riddle? Well, if she did look at him with objective eyes like the rest of the female student body, she supposed he was handsome. Obviously. But she didn't, her image of him was distorted by the pure hatred she held for him. He was ugly. In her mind, she would rather marry a cockroach than admit that she knew that Tom Riddle was handsome.

She was shaken out of her denial and guilt by a creaking, clanging sound, which she realized were the doors of the library opening. She panicked; who else was in here at about seven in the morning? Who else would choose this place to go to? She had to leave now. She was forced to leave. She couldn't stay here any longer. Damn to the depths whoever had opened those doors. Didn't they realise that she was in a position of painstaking confusion here? And that she needed some quiet time to shift around her messed-up thoughts to where they should be?

With that, Amaryllis Covington pulled herself together and ran as fast as she could around the ancient bookshelves and to the back door of the library, accidentally stubbing her toe in the process. Cursing and praying to god that whoever it was at the other end wouldn't see her, she jerked open the heavy handle and closed it behind her with such force that a deep reverberating, ringing sound could be heard throughout the rest of the library.

* * *

At the other end of the library, a drowsy Tom Riddle stood. The back door of the library was a little to his right and far away. He could have sworn that he saw a slight, chocolate-skinned figure hastily disappear through it, as a sharp, loud sound echoed through the vacant library. So now he was having hallucinations? Maybe he should have stayed in the infirmary a little longer. He sat down at the nearest table to collect his thoughts. He need a little quiet time to regain himself. He didn't have time to dwell on the mysterious stranger he had seemingly evicted from the library at 7 in the morning. 


End file.
